'Hottentot Venus' goes home

In
1810, William Dunlop, a British doctor on a ship, noticed Saarti Baartman (from
the Khoisan tribe known as Hottentots) whose anatomy he considered
unusual. Dunlop took Baartman to London
in hopes of exhibiting her to paying audiences “as a freak of nature.” She was sold to a French entrepreneur who
took her to Paris where she died in 1816.
Once in Europe, she was known as “Hottentot Venus.” Parts of Baartman’s body were preserved and
put on display at the Museum of Mankind in Paris until 1974. After apartheid ended, South Africa
campaigned for the return of Baartman’s remains. The return of the remains was delayed because
“[t]he French were concerned that to return Baartman’s remains might lead to
claims from other countries for the return of artefacts held in French
museums.”

Compensation:

Repatriation of remains

Summary:

On 26 April 2002 at a ceremony in Paris, the
skeleton and bottled organs of Baartman were handed to a South African
ambassador. French Research Minister
Roger-Gerard Schwartzenberg said: “After suffering so much offence and
humiliation, Saarti Baartman will have her dignity restored – she will find
justice and peace.”